Actress and daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party Maharashtra chief Abu Azmi, Ayesha Takia, on Friday said that if reports about his statement on rape victims were true, then she is deeply embarrassed and ashamed.

In a tweet, Takia said: "If what I am reading about my father-in-law's statements are true, then me and Farhan are deeply embarrassed and ashamed. We surely do not share this mindset, it's disrespectful to women, and if these statements are true, then it's sad."

Speaking to a leading Mumbai tabloid, Azmi said, "Rape is punishable by hanging in Islam. But here, nothing happens to women, only to men. Even the woman is guilty."

"In India, if you have sex with a person with consent, it's fine. But if that same person complains, it's a problem. Nowadays, we see a lot of such cases. Girls complain when someone touches them, and even when someone doesn't touch them. It becomes a problem then, and the man's honour is ruined in this. If rape happens with or without consent, it should be punished as prescribed in Islam," he added.

"If any woman, whether married or unmarried, goes along with a man, with or without her consent, she should be hanged. Both should be hanged. It shouldn't be allowed even if a woman goes by consent."

This statement comes after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav made an equally controversial statement saying it was wrong to give capital punishment to rapists involved in the gang rape of two persons in Mumbai in July and August of last year, adding that boys make mistakes at times.

Speaking at a rally in Lucknow, Yadav questioned the need for a court of the land to hand down capital punishment to the three men involved in the two crimes.